Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was left fuming after Sporting’s 4-1 victory over his side in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Premier League champions suffered a third successive defeat in three different competitions this week, this time in Europe’s premier club competition after defeats to England.
A 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup was followed by the same scoreline on the south coast against Bournemouth, before the worst scoreline of the lot followed in the Portuguese capital.
Declining performances and deteriorating results have led to questions about whether the current Manchester City side are still fighting for their manager and whether Pep Guardiola himself is losing energy for the role.
However, speaking to TV channels after the drubbing in Lisbon this week, Pep Guardiola insisted that the challenge of returning Manchester City to more positive results only strengthens his desire to be manager of the Etihad Stadium.
“That’s how it is,” Guardiola said. “Now is a difficult moment in terms of results but I am here! I want to be here! And I want to fight and not give up, I work hard and I like this challenge that as a manager I have in front of me, and whoever wants to follow me, follow us, they will be there!
The same stance taken by Pep Guardiola was also expressed in his post-match press conference when he explained: “I love it, I want to face it and lift the players up.”
“I’m not giving up, maybe people are waiting (for me to give up), but I’m not giving up!”
Challenges across competitions mount for Manchester City as they travel to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon in the fourth of four consecutive away matches in all competitions.
The turnaround time also remains tight for Manchester City’s players, who return from Lisbon on Wednesday evening before heading to the south coast of England ahead of the weekend’s match on Friday evening.
